16U Softball (Ages 14-16)

Purpose:
The purpose of the 16U Softball Division is to help girls advance their softball skills so they are prepared to play according to high school rules.

Ages:
Players 16 years old or younger as December 31 st for the Spring season and June 30 th for the Fall season are eligible to register for this division.

Fees:
Registration for 16U Softball is $215 per player per season. The registration fee covers the cost of league registration fees, insurance, equipment, field maintenance, utility costs and jerseys.

Uniforms:
SPYA will provide players with a game jersey. Players are responsible for providing black softball pants, red softball socks and a red belt.

Seasons:

SPYA offers two seasons of 16U Softball. Spring Season usually begins in late February/early March and runs through early June. There is typically a two-week break in the middle of the season for Spring Break. The fall Season begins in August and runs through the end of October/beginning of November

Many players have their own softball bat, but it is not required at the start of the season. The bat must be a softball bat – it cannot be a Tball or baseball bat.

Assessments & Drafts:
If there is more than one team, South Park will have a player assessment and draft with the goal of creating two teams of equal talent.

Practices:
Prior to the season beginning, teams will practice once during the week and on Saturday and Sunday. In the Spring season, weekday practices will not begin until daylight savings occurs. Weekday practices begin at 6:00 pm, Saturday practices are typically in the afternoon for 16s and Sunday practices begin in the late afternoon. Once games begin, typically there are only practices on Sundays. All practices will take place at the softball field behind Carmel Middle School.

Games:In the Spring season, teams will play 12 regular season games and in the Fall season the teams typically play 10 regular season games. Half of the games will be played at the SPYA home softball field behind Carmel Middle School. The other half will be played at another association that is part of Char-Meck Girls Softball.

There will be two games each week. One of the games will be on either Monday or Wednesday and begins at 7:30. The other game will be on Saturday and will be played in the afternoon. For both weekday and weekend games, players are requested to arrive 30-45 minutes early for pre-game warm ups.

The games last one hour and 30 minutes and could go longer to finish the inning once time expires. Following both the Spring and Fall seasons, there will be a double elimination End of Season (EOS) tournament.

Other Game Information:
 The 16U age group uses a 12” softball
 The base length is 60 feet
 Pitchers pitch from 43 feet
 Players can steal home